Key result
Radiofrequency catheter ablation eliminates PVCs and resolves palpitations in rare coronary artery fistula case.
Why the study?
Sakakibara type B coronary artery fistulas with multiple coronary aneurysms are extremely rare and cases presenting initially with high-burden premature ventricular complexes have rarely been reported.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Radiofrequency ablation successfully eliminated high-burden PVCs in a patient with a rare complex coronary artery-coronary sinus fistula managed conservatively.
Ablation may relieve PVC symptoms in rare coronary fistulas; leaves open generalizability beyond this single case.
Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is a rare congenital coronary malformation. Sakakibara type B lesions, in which multiple coronary arteries drain concurrently into the coronary sinus (CS), are extremely uncommon, and cases initially presenting with high-burden premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) as the initial manifestation have rarely been reported. This paper reports a 63-year-old female patient presenting with intermittent palpitations for 1 year. A 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram (Holter) revealed a PVC burden of up to 40,804 complexes, with a total of 101,582 heartbeats recorded. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated dilation of the left atrium, left ventricle and right atrium, moderate mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, dilated right coronary artery (RCA) with a right coronary artery-coronary sinus fistula, while lesions of the left circumflex artery (LCX) and second obtuse marginal branch (OM2) were missed. Three-dimensional coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) reconstruction showed tortuous and diffusely dilated LCX, OM2 and RCA, with aneurysms at the distal segments of all three vessels. The distal segments of the three vessels anastomosed with each other and drained into the CS. The dilated coronary arteries compressed the great cardiac vein, resulting in focal luminal stenosis. The patient's PVCs originated from the left coronary cusp. Radiofrequency catheter ablation completely relieved palpitations, and follow-up Holter at 3 months recorded only 1 PVC with a different origin from preoperative ectopy. Cardiac surgeons recommended surgical ligation of the fistula, but the patient opted for regular imaging follow-up and long-term clopidogrel antiplatelet therapy due to absence of myocardial ischemia, heart failure and other symptoms. This case indicates that three-dimensional CCTA reconstruction serves as the primary non-invasive modality for definitive diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation of complex CAF. Idiopathic PVCs originating from the aortic sinuses of Valsalva can coexist independently with CAF. Type B CAF with multiple feeding vessels draining into the CS represents a high-risk anatomical subtype, requiring long-term, individualized multidisciplinary management.
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Jia Li (2026) conducted a case report in Coronary artery-coronary sinus fistula with multiple coronary aneurysms and premature ventricular complexes (n=1). Radiofrequency catheter ablation was evaluated on Reduction in PVC burden and symptom relief. Radiofrequency catheter ablation eliminated premature ventricular complexes and relieved palpitations in a patient with a rare multi-vessel coronary artery-coronary sinus fistula.
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